SPRINGFIELD—On Thursday, State Senator Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) voted to approve Senate Bill 2047, a bipartisan stopgap budget for the first half of FY 2017. The proposal would send stopgap funding to human service providers throughout Lake County and ensure that schools open on time in August.

“This plan protects those human service programs that have been devastated by the budget impasse,” Link said. “We are investing more money than we ever have into educating the next generation. Every school district will be able to receive more resources than the previous fiscal year.”

The bipartisan agreement would send schools the full funding they are owed and end proration in the education budget. The plan also would send stopgap funding to institutions of higher education and allow road construction throughout the state to continue.

The legislation would send the following amounts to local Lake County school districts:

Waukegan School District 60 would receive an appropriation of more than $102.6 million, an increase of about $5.2 million when compared to the previous fiscal year.

North Chicago School District 187 would receive an appropriation of nearly $23.2 million, an increase of more than $1.2 million.

Mundelein High School District 120 would receive an appropriation of about $1.3 million, an increase of more than $77,000.

Hawthorn School District 73 would receive an appropriation of about $2.1 million, an increase of more than $240,000.